There has recently been considerable concern with respect to the energy requirements of this country. It has already been determined that there are many areas not yet explored of obtaining energy from sources that previously have been totally ignored. For instance, the use of gravity for generating power is essentially ignored except for some utilization of water power. Gravity can be employed wherever a mass is positioned at a certain height from which it may be dislodged to assume a lower position with reference to a position to the center of the earth. As the mass is moved from the upper to the lower position it may be used to rotate or drive a suitable means which in turn is employed to drive an energy consuming device such as an electric generator or conveyor or both. Of course, when the mass employed is water it is fairly easy to convey it from a high position to a lower position. At the same time when the mass comprises particulate material it can also be employed as such particulate material may assume some of the characteristics of a fluid depending, of course, on the fineness of the mass.
In the quarrying of rock or marble a rather deep pit is produced. Similarly, when strip mining is undertaken the earth mantle is first removed to thereby reveal the underlying deposit of mineral that is desired which may be coal or shale. All of these techniques have in common the creation of a depression in the earth's surface to produce an area considerably lower than the surrounding countryside. Additionally, as a by-product of the operation, there is produced a substantial quantity of particulate material which has little or no use. As a matter of fact, the material is usually something that must somehow be attended to. It is this particulate mass of material that has been discovered to be useful in generating and conserving energy.